Zero hours
Zero hours contracts are sometimes used by employers that require flexibility in their workforce, for example where the need for workers is unpredictable. Under a zero hours contract, the employer is not obliged to offer the worker a set number of hours. Their use has attracted controversy and in 2013 the government outlined plans to restrict the use of “exclusivity clauses” whereby workers are stopped from working for other employers.
Businesses may need to compensate workers facing cancelled shifts
The government has announced new proposals of compensation for workers when their shift is cancelled at short notice
How employees are using social activism to make their voices heard
With traditional union membership in decline, employees are finding new ways to voice their opposition to corporate decisions, as shown...
Railways urged to end zero-hours contracts after fatality
The death of a likely-fatigued rail maintenance worker has prompted call for widespread change in the industry
Job insecurity fuelling university staff hardship
Seven in 10 university academics and teaching staff say their mental health has been “damaged” by working on insecure contracts,...
One in six workers are in insecure, low-paid jobs
One sixth of UK workers – around 5.1 million people – are in insecure, low-paid work, according to new research....
Mayfair club kitchen porters call for the Living Wage
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has urged one of London’s most exclusive membership clubs to ensure its...
Lifelong learning provision is inadequate, claims Lords committee
The government must rethink its approach to lifelong learning and ensure that it educates younger people for longer working lives,...
Outsourcing giant faces protests over payroll upgrade
The outsourcing company ISS faces protests today over changes to its payroll system that will see it withhold the pay...
Top 10 HR questions March 2019: Anonymous witness rights
If a witness in a disciplinary procedure wishes to remain anonymous, how can the employer balance their privacy against the...
The Good Work Plan: how should employers prepare?
In December 2018, the government set out the reforms it planned to introduce as part of the Good Work Plan,...
How has Brexit impacted employment legislation?
The number of business-related laws passed in 2018 fell by 27%, according to research by Thomson Reuters. With civil service...
Outsourced Whitehall support workers to strike over low pay
Cleaners, receptionists and security guards at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)...
Employment study debunks migrant worker myth
Immigrants have been among the main beneficiaries of the employment boom but not at the expense of workers born in...
Ireland on track to end zero-hour contracts
The Irish government has said it will end most zero-hour contracts in the country by summer as its Employment (Miscellaneous...
Top 10 HR questions October 2018: annual leave and sickness absence
How should employers deal with annual leave entitlement for employees on long-term sick leave? This issue is dealt with in...
